Top-prop.



mmmmm PATENTBD JULY 18, 1905. c. A. ROBERTSON & H. H. nonemss,

, TOP PROP. APPLIOATION FILED 001:. 2a; 1904.

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UNITED STATES Patented July is, 1905.

PATENT OEEicE.

CULLEN ANDREWV ROBERTSON AND HARRY HOMER DOUGLASS, OF GRINNELL, IOWVA.

TOP-PROP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 79%,889, dated July 18, 1905.

Application filed October 28, 1904. Serial No. 230,408.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, OULLEN ANDREW R012- ERTSON and HARRY HOMER DOUGLASS, citizens of the United States. residing at Grinnell, in the county of Poweshiek and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Top-Props; and we do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Our invention relates to improvements in fastening means for the props of the covers or tops of buggies or other vehicles.

The object of our invention is to provide a simple, durable, and comparatively inexpensive fastening means of this character which will effectively prevent all looseness and rattling of the parts and all liability of them coming off.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists Qfcertain novel features of construction, combination, and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of a top-prop fastening means embodying our invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view. an end elevation with the cap removed. Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of the pivotstud bolt for the top-prop. Fig. 6 is a similar View of the adjusting-nut. Fig. 7 is a similar view of the locking-nut, and Fig. 8 is a detail view of the tongued locking-plate.

Referring to the drawings by numeral, 1 denotes one end of a top-prop of a buggy or other vehicle, which is pivotally mounted upon a stud-bolt 2 between a lock-nut 3 and an adjusting-nut 4:. The top-prop1, as hereshown, has one of its ends formed with a circular enlargement 5 through an opening in which the pivot stud-bolt 2 projects. The said stud-bolt 2 is formed with two screwthreaded portions 6 and 7, the latter being of less diameter than the former,as seen in Fig. 3 of the drawings. At one end of said bolt 2 is formed an integral attaching-plate 8,

Fig. 4: is

which may be secured to any suitable point upon the body or frame of a buggy or other vehicle by passing screws or other similar fastening means through openings 9, formed in said plate. At the outer end of said bolt 2 is formed a reduced polygonal-shaped portion 10, the purpose of which will be presently explained. Upon the inner and larger screw-threaded portions 6 of said bolt 2 is mounted the adjusting-nut 1, which may be of any desired shape or form, but which, as here shown, has its inner portion formed with an annular radially-projecting flange 11, by means of which said nut may be readily adjusted upon the screw-threads 6 in order to clamp the top-prop 1 between it and said nut 3. The said lock-nut 3, which is screwed upon the smaller and outer threaded portion 7 of the bolt, has its inner end formed with a polygonal-shaped portion 12, adapted to be engaged by a wrench to permit said nut to be readily turned and its outer end formed with an enlargement 13. Said enlargement, which is circular in form, has its outer face formed with a centrally-disposed circular cavity 14:, which communicates with radially-disposed recesses also formed in said face and diametrically disposed, as shown. In said cavity 13 is seated a dished or concavo-convex plate 16, which is formed with diametrically-disposed radially-projecting tongues 17 adapted to be seated in said recesses 15 in the lock-nut 3. Said tongue-plate 16 has a centrally-disposed polygonal-shaped opening 18, through which the similarly-shaped portion 10 of the bolt 2 projects in order to hold said plate against rotary movement. The plate is thus locked to the bolt, and the nut 3 is locked to the plate, so thatgsaid nut is prevented from turning upon the bolt. In order to hold the tongued plate 16 in position and also provide an ornamental finish for the nut 3, we secure upon the outer face of said nut a cap 19, theannular flange or rim 20 of which frictionally engages the outer edge or surface of the enlarged portion 13 of said nut 3. To prevent the cap from becoming loose and slipping off from the nut, we provide said flange 20 with a series of integral tongues 21, which are adapted to be bent down and engaged with said nut, as shown, after the cap has been placed upon the nut.

It will be seen that when the parts are assembled as shown in the first three figures of the drawings the nut 3 will be securely locked upon the boltand that by adjusting the nut 4 upon the screw-threaded portion 6 of said bolt the top-prop 1 may be jammed against the inner end of the nut 3 in order to hold said prop against movement. This construction will effectively prevent the nut from getting loose and coming off by reason of the jar of the buggy or vehicle top, and at the same time it will be seen that the parts may be readily separated.

The construction is simple, strong, and durable, and the parts may be manufactured and assembled at a comparatively low cost.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the construction and operation of the invention will be readily understood without requiring a more extended explanation.

Various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the prin ciple or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a vehicle-top-prop fastening means, the combination of a top-prop pivot stud-bolt having screw-threaded portions of different diameters, an adjusting-nut upon one of said threaded portions, a nut upon the other of said threaded portions, said nuts being adapted to engage opposite sides of a top-prop upon said pivot-bolt, and means for locking the latter-mentioned nut, said means comprising a concavo-convex plate secured to said pivotbolt and having tongues at opposite sides seated in recesses in said nut, and a cap upon the outer end of said nut for securing said concavo-convex plate in position, substantially as described.

2. A fastening means for vehicle-top props, comprising a top-prop pivot stud-bolt having screw-threaded portions of difl'erent diameters, an attaching-plate at one end and a polygonal-shaped portion at its opposite end, a locked nut upon the outer screw-threaded portion of said pivot-bolt, said nut being formed with an enlargementhaving a central cavity in its outer end and recesses communicating with said cavity, a tongued plate seated in said cavity and engaged with the polygonal-shaped outer end of the pivot-bolt, said plate having its tongues projecting into said recesses, a cap upon the outer face of the enlarged portion of said nut, integral tongues formed upon said cap and adapted to be bent down to engage said nut to retain said cap thereon, and an adjusting-nut upon the inner screw-threaded portion of said pivot-bolt adapted to clamp a top-prop against said lock-nut, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

' 'CULLEN ANDREW ROBERTSON.

HARRY HOMER DOUGLASS. Witnesses:

J. H. FLOYD, J NO. L. LEE. 

